Complete List of 25 Books for LSSL 5385

Books Read

1. The Absolutely True Story of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie
2. Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson
3. Lucky Broken Girl by Ruth Behar
4. Annie on my Mind by Nancy Garden
5. Lily and Dunkin by Donna Gephart
6. It’s Perfectly Normal by Robie Harris
7. Monster by Walter Dean Myers
8. The Knife of Never Letting Go by Patrick Ness
9. Gabi, a Girl in Pieces by Isabel Quintero
10. Persepolis by Marjane Sartrapi
11. The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas

Kwame Alexander Pick: Swing

Chris Crutcher Pick: Whale Talk

John Green Pick: Turtles All the Way Down

A.S. King Pick: Reality Boy
Andrew Smith Pick: Rabbit & Robot

Raina Telgemeier Pick: Drama

Best Fiction for Young Adults Choice: Allegedly

Quick Picks Choice: Dear Martin by Nic Stone

Quick Picks Choice: That’s Not What Really Happened by Kody Keplinger

Printz Choice: Bone Gap by Laura Ruby

Excellence in Nonfiction for Young Adult Choice: March Part 3 by John Lewis

Great Graphic Novels for Young Adults Choice: Wires and Nerve by Marissa Meyer

Outstanding Books for the College Bound Choice: Boy 21 by Matthew Quick

NYT Best-seller Choice: The Hazel Wood by Melissa Albert

That's Not What Happened

Keplinger, K. (2018). That's not what happened. New York: Scholastic Press.

Summary:

Three years ago Virgil County experienced a school shooting. Six people survived the tragedy. Now, three years later, the events that transpired that day are about to resurge when the parents of one of the victims announce they are going to publish a biography.

Lee knows the truth of what happened in that bathroom. But there’s more to what happened that day. And she decides to find out, opening old wounds and creating new ones. But it could be just what she needs to heal.

Reaction:

Three years after a tragic shooting, Lee has taken it upon herself to investigate the different viewpoints of that day. She reaches out to the other survivors and asks them to write a piece expressing their thoughts of the events that transpired or about the people that were brutally murdered. Lee has a strong desire to do what she believes is right. But what about three years ago?

Her best friend, Sarah, was one of the victims of the shooting. A rumor was spread about how Sarah defended her faith before she was shot. But Lee knows that isn’t true. When the time came for her to tell the truth, she remained silent. So why dig up the past now? Sarah’s parents are planning on writing a biography, and Lee knew the real Sarah. Not the Sarah she pretended to be for her parents. And she knows that the real Sarah would not want to be represented this way.

One aspect of this book that is interesting to consider is the different viewpoints introduced. Everyone sees or hears something different when they are taking part of an event. Lee learns this all too well during her research.

This novel explores what happens after a substantial amount of time has passed after a tragic event. One of the victims, Eden, is now in college. Eden is constantly speaking to schools about gun violence, working with her girlfriend on a popular webcomic, and taking her classes. But all is not what it seems. Eden drowns her pain in alcohol. It’s later revealed through her letter to Lee that she feels survivors guilt for making it out of the shooting alive when her cousin didn’t.

Another character that isn't all what she seems is Kellie. It was Kellie who defended her faith to the shooter. But Kellie wears all black. Kellie is goth. No way was it her. It had to be Sarah. Kellie is an example of what we all fear. To tell the truth only to be dismissed by everyone you know and love.

This novel is also one of the few novels that features an asexual character. This is not Keplinger's first time at introducing an asexual character. One of the main characters in Run is revealed to identify in this way. This is not a sexual identity often discussed in novels, so Keplinger is opening the doors for more conversations.

That’s Not What Happened examines the events after a tragedy and how the survivors deal with the fact that they made it out. It reveals the different perspectives a story can be told in. Three years later, and not everyone is going to move on with their lives as easily as others might make it seem. And that’s okay.  

Connections:

Activities:

• Compare a news story of a tragic event two days after the event vs. a month after the event. What differences do you notice?
• Introduce the lesson with a discussion on gun violence or Cassie Bernall, the woman from the Columbine shooting Sarah is based on.
• Have students complete a project over a school shooting that happened in the United States. Students need to provide news articles and explain the effects it had on the community then and even now. https://www.infoplease.com/us/crime/timeline-worldwide-school-and-mass-shootings   
• PBS.org provides several lesson ideas on how to express solutions to gun violence: https://www.pbs.org/newshour/extra/daily-videos/lesson-plan-teens-propose-their-own-solutions-to-school-shootings/
• Play a video of people playing or doing a menial task. Ask students to write down what they see and hear. Then ask students to write a narrative about it. Have them share with a partner and compare how their narratives are the same and different. This will reflect how everyone experiences things differently.
• Practice school shooter drills with students often. Stay current in school shooter training.

Videos:

[Scholastic]. (2018, May 14). That’s Not What Happened by Kody Keplinger| Scholastic Fall 2018 Online Preview [Video File]. Retrieved from https://youtu.be/1JRk27CQgKw

Other School Shooting Books:

Nijkamp, M. (2016). This is where it ends. Naperville, Illinois: Sourcebooks Fire.

Hubbard, J. (2014). And we stay. New York: Delacorte Press.

Hassan, M. (2013). Crash and Burn. New York: Balzer + Bray.

Brown, J. (2009). Hate list. New York: Little, Brown.

Myers, W. (2004). Shooter. New York: Amistad/HarperTempest.

Strasser, T. (2000). Give a boy a gun. New York: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers.

Swing

Alexander, K. & Hess, M. (2018). Swing. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Blink.

Summary:

Noah’s best friend Walter has big plans for them. They’re going to find cool. Somehow. While stubborn to his best friends will, Noah slowly becomes inspired to take charge after finding a set of love letters from the 1961s in a thrift store purse he bought for his mother. The letters inspire him to take a swing at the things he wants in life. Who knows? Maybe he’ll find cool if he does.

Reaction:

This novel in verse is rich in jazz. It would be easy to find new music to listen to by taking care to notice the names of musicians Walt/Swing mentions. The poems have a nice rhythm to them. The figurative language will leave the reader speechless.

Noah is a bland main character. This may seem like a negative but could help in establishing character development. At the beginning of the novel, he is passive. He won’t do anything about his love for his best friend. He isn’t surprised and doesn’t care about not making the baseball team. But after finding the letters in the purse he bought his mother for her birthday and having Walt/Sing as his best friend, he slowly begins to evolve.

The reader can’t help but root for Sam and Noah to begin their relationship. The blackout poems Noah leaves for her are beautiful and inspired. When Sam broke it off with Noah, it’s heartbreaking considering how happy he was only a few poems earlier. It is also unsurprising. Her decision is one that many girls make which helps bring more realism to the novel.

The title suggests that the novel would be about Walt more than Noah. The whole book seems like it’s more about Walt than Noah. Once again, this could be intentional. Walt gives Noah the push to tell Sam his feelings. Walt introduces Noah to the beauty of jazz. It’s because of Walt that Noah starts to embrace his love of art. And the ending leaves Noah alone but with all of the lessons his best friend taught him.

There are hints to the ending throughout the book. The letters possibly being from an African-American man to a white woman during the early 1960s, and the events with the police officers are the party are two glaring examples of foreshadowing. Despite that, the ending felt hurried and not well thought out.

In addition to racism and the shooting of an unarmed black teen, Alexander attempts to tackle PTSD. Walt’s brother makes an appearance only a couple of times but each appearance is powerful.

This book will make you laugh. It will teach you how many famous people died. BAM. And it might make you cry, especially after seeing the final piece of art from Noah.

Connection:

Activities:

• Give the students the five letters written by Corinthian. Infer the reason why they are apart, like Walt/Swing did. Write a response letter to Corinthian from Annemarie. It could be to one particular letter or all of the letters.
• Compare Corinthians letters to Noah’s blackout poems.
• During the time period it takes to read the book, play the different jazz musicians mentioned in the book. Create a playlist on a streaming service or pull up YouTube. This will help bring students more into the world Alexander is creating.
• What does the American flag symbolize to you?
• Have students create their own blackout poems.
• Students will need to close their eyes. Play a jazz song. Play the jazz song again, only this time students write what they hear.
• How does autocorrect affect our communication skills?  When has autocorrect ever ruined something you’ve typed?
• Give a lesson on PTSD in order to help students understand Walt’s brothers’ actions.

• This novel is rich with figurative language. Use the poems for a lesson on figurative language.
• “I hear/giant steps/across pavement/running for life/in New York City/or Chicago,/or some big city,/bolting/down a street,/trying to get away/from evil.” (pg 198)
• “She laughed like a songbird at my/brilliant wit, and her velvety violin of a voice soothed my/nerves as soon as we got on the phone.” (pg 208) “I throw my clothes on/ quicker than Clark Kent/turning into Superman…” (pg 215) “Quit/owns the part/again.” (pg 289)
• Pair Men in Blue (pg 302-303) or pages 298-305 (poems Nightmare, BUSTED, and They Pick Cruz Up, Unlock His Cuffs, Shove Him Toward Us and Men in Blue, and They leave us all with a warning) with Black Lives Matter books such as Dear Martin and The Hate U Give.
• A band class can have a unit on jazz and use Ask Your Mamma by Langston Hughes. Hughes, L., Rampersad, A., Bell, D., Karpman, L. & Norman, J. (2009). Ask your mama : 12 moods for jazz. New York: Alfred A. Knopf Art Farm West.

Videos

[blinkyabooks]. (2018, October 3). Swing by Kwame Alexander with Mary Rand Hess [Video File]. Retrieved from https://youtu.be/EK_N20aGZtI

[FollettLearning]. (2018, December 28). Kwame Alexander Sings “Swing” [Video File]. Retrieved from https://youtu.be/x2E9Ig515tw

Wires and Nerve

Meyer, M., Holgate, D. & Gilpin, S. (2019). Wires and nerve. New York: Feiwel And Friends.

Summary:

Following the events of Winter, Cinder has been queen for almost a year. The wolf-hybrid soldiers Queen Leavana created are loose on Earth. Iko, an android and Cinder’s best friend, volunteers herself to hunt down the wolf-hybrids. But an Alpha has established himself within the few hybrids Iko has not caught. And he wants revenge on the Queen of Luna.  Can Iko help protect her dearest friend and save the world once again?

Reaction:

Meyer does an excellent job at catching readers’ that may have missed the first few novels in The Lunar Chronicles. The first few pages before the book begins serves as a short reminder to the events in Cinder, Scarlet, Cress, and Winter. As the book continues, Meyer makes sure to reiterate the important characters. In chapter two, she reminds the reader of who Cinder is and so on with all of the main characters. This helps the reader avoid flipping back and forth.

Wires and Nerve takes place almost a year after the events of Winter but before the events in the short story Something Old, Something New found in the anthology Stars Above. Iko desperately wants to help Cinder and figures out the best way to do that is to track down the wolf-hybrids on Earth herself. Since she is an android, she is less likely to actually die. Iko is a major character throughout the series. She has been like a sister to Cinder since they lived with Linh Adri, mentioned briefly in this graphic novel. But while all of the other, human, characters found their soulmates through their adventures in saving the world, Iko is still just Iko. So by continuing the story, Meyer is allowing Iko the potential to have a happily ever after.

The images in the novel are in shades of blue. This is most likely intentional. The primary reason this color was chosen was to represent what Iko can see. Though she has a unique fashion sense, it’s possible that her system pops up to tell her colors. Or it could be to represent the environment of Luna.

Though told in a different format from its predecessors, none of the characters lose their edge. Thorne is still full of himself and putting his foot in his mouth. Cress is still innocent and intelligent with all things technological. Scarlet and Wolf are still adorable together and ready to kick butt whenever they need too, though their appearance in the book was short.    

Meyer is setting up a version of Romeo and Juliet, a detour from the more classic fairy tales of the series prior. But a new format calls for a new type of tale. Iko is an android. Androids and cyborgs are generally frowned upon in this society. This is evident in Iko’s experience trying to repair her stomach area with the shopkeeper, and her treatment by Liam Kinney, one of the royal guard. He refuses to believe there is any value in caring for a machine the way his queen does. But his reaction at a shared kiss with Iko hints that he possibly has feelings for her. And Iko deserves love as much as the rest of them.  

Another interesting spin to this novel is the apparent discrimination against certain citizens. Iko wishes to keep her body. She wants to be human. She is also utterly frustrated that no one recognizes her efforts in helping Cinder and the rest. Androids are created in the likeness of all of the other characters, but not Iko. And Cinder has also had to deal with discrimination because of the fact that she is a cyborg. And Lunars are discriminated against as well due to their power of manipulation. Considering how diverse the cast of characters is, it is an interesting way to tackle discrimination.

Connections:

Activities:

• Choose one of the nine heroes. Create a silhouette of their head and do a character analysis based on information in the images and the dialogue.
• Iko summarizes the events of the first four Lunar Chronicle books - Cinder, Scarlett, Cress, and Winter - within the first few pages before the book begins. Summarize your own favorite book, movie, or television series in graphic novel format.
• On page 98, the saleslady states that “...this line of escorts is purely fictitious. Any resemblance to actual persons is entirely coincidental. It says so on the disclaimer.” A lesson on copyright and permission for likeness can be done here.
• Each book in the Lunar Chronicles series is a fairy tale retelling - Cinderella, Little Red Riding Hood, Rapunzel, and Snow White. In Star Above, a short story version of The Little Mermaid is also present. An argument could be made that Iko’s story will be a retelling of Romeo & Juliet if the romantic tension at the end isn’t a hint. Do a fairy tale retelling of your own in graphic format. Do not use any of the examples already given.
• The soldiers Queen Levana created are half-human and half-wolf. What other animals could she have used to create her army?
• Discrimination is still happening, even sometime in the far future. The cast of characters is diverse. What sort of discrimination is happening in the story? How is it shown?
• Use this novel in a graphic novel book tasting.
• Create an advertisement for the bioelectrical security device. Teachers may have to use Winter to better explain the use of the device.

Want to Get the Full Story? The Lunar Chronicle Series

Meyer, M. (2012). Cinder. New York: Feiwel and Friends.

Meyer, M. (2013). Scarlet. New York: Feiwel and Friends.

Meyer, M. (2014). Cress. New York: Feiwel and Friends.

Meyer, M. (2015). Fairest : Levana's story. New York: Feiwel and Friends.

Meyer, M. (2015). Winter. New York: Feiwel and Friends.

Meyer, M. (2016). Stars above : a Lunar Chronicles collection. New York: Feiwel and Friends.

Sequel to Wires and Nerve

Meyer, M. & Gilpin, S. (2018). Gone rogue. New York: Feiwel and Friends.

Monster

Myers, W. & Myers, C. (1999). Monster. New York, N.Y: HarperCollins Publishers.

Awards:

Michael L. Printz Award (2000),

Coretta Scott King Award for Author Honor (2000)

Summary:

Steve Harmon is an aspiring filmmaker in high school, living in Harlem. He is also on trial for murder.

Written partly as a film script, a journal, and images, Monster follows Steve’s trial from beginning to end. Will the jury make him out to be the monster the prosecution claims he is?

Reaction:

Monster is a different novel in many ways. The journal/script format allows the reader to both understand Steve’s thoughts and feelings about the trial, but the reader can also be an observer. This format allows Steve to choose what information makes it in his screenplay and what doesn’t. For example, the day Steve is to go on the stage, he has a slightly swollen hand. “STEVE is dressing for court. We see him checking out his hand, which is slightly swollen.” (pg 222) No explanation is ever given for his swollen hand.

There are random images within the novel. It is unclear when they were taken until the journal entry five months after the trial. These images help the reader imagine Steve more since this format does not allow much for description of the characters away from the stage directions.

The ending of the novel is meant to be vague but too many clues add up to Steve being guilty. “Anybody can walk into a drugstore and look around. Is that what I’m on trial for? I didn’t do nothing!” (pg 115) “I thought about writing what happened in that drugstore, but I’d rather not have it in my mind.” (pg 128) “What did I do? I walked into a drugstore to look for some mints, and then I walked out.” (pg 140) Three times he mentions in his journal that he went into the drugstore at some point. But when he got onto the stand, he said he did not enter the drugstore.

His lawyer coaching him is another clue. While he is on the stand, his mind thinks back to the coaching after he is asked a question. This could be because he realized the answer his first instinct would have him say would be harmful to his case.

After the trial, Steve is trying to figure out who he is. His journal and script don’t give much information about Steve other than he is from a rough neighborhood in Harlem. And oftentimes teenagers try to find themselves with gangs. It’s possible Steve was one of those teenagers. And now that he narrowly escaped life in prison, he needs to decide who he will become.

Connections:

Activities:

• When a witness is on the stand and they use a slang term, the attorney stops them and asks them to clarify their meaning. Have a conversation with a friend either stop them every time they use a slang term and ask for an explanation, or tally mark each time they use a slang term. By the end of the activity, the student may be surprised at how there are multiple meanings and how vocabulary differs within cultures.
• “Think about all the tomorrows of your life.” (pg 205) What do you imagine for all of your tomorrows?
• Think about an event in your life that affected you in a major way. Write a scene about that event.
• Have a lesson on an unreliable narrator using Steve as an example.
• Choose a courtroom scene for students to reenact. There are limited stage directions. This will give students an opportunity to practice with stage directions. The teacher could also record their performance and then ask why the students chose to do what they did.
• Have students fill out an anticipation guide regarding discrimination, peer pressure, the term innocent until proven guilty, guilty by association, and writing helps organize thoughts and feelings.
• Use the discussion guide at the back of the book for a Socratic seminar.
• Steve’s innocence or guilt is never verified. Have students write a newscast to perform, possibly as a FlipGrid or another video format, about whether Steve Harmon is guilty or not. Provide evidence from the text that proves his innocence or guilt.  

Video

[Walter Dean Myers]. (2014, April 8). Walter Dean Myers discusses Monster [Video File]. Retrieved from https://youtu.be/QtlkXnf3-vY

Articles:

Liptak, A. (2005, October 03). Jailed for Life After Crimes as Teenagers. Retrieved from https://www.nytimes.com/2005/10/03/us/jailed-for-life-after-crimes-as-teenagers.html

Arthur, P., & Armstrong, B. S. (2006, October 1). Locked Away Forever The Case Against Juvenile Life Without Parole. Retrieved from https://youthlaw.org/publication/locked-away-forever-the-case-against-juvenile-life-without-parole/

Other Books

Magoon, K. (2014). How it went down. New York: Henry Holt and Company.

- The ending of this book is also ambiguous.

Lehr, D. (2017). Trell. Somerville, Massachusetts: Candlewick Press.

- On page 121 a neighborhood resident mentions how a girl was killed just for sitting on her stoop. Trell is about the daughter of a man in jail for a crime he didn’t commit. For the murder of a young girl sitting on a mailbox. His innocence must be proven. Based on true events.

Jackson, T. (2017). Allegedly : a novel. New York, NY: Katherine Tegen Books, an imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers.

- Mary allegedly killed a 3-month-old baby when she was still a child herself. Years later, she is still serving her time in a group home.